Surviving the Big Easy

New York, New York. The city so nice, they had to name it twice. By bus, by plane, by car, by train, think you can lick it? Get to the wicket, by you a ticket and go!!!!..George Russel.


"Now here this! All Molluskians in Molluskandia must report back here in the am for one hot rippah shred sesh in the am brah!"

We have a new leader. May I introduce to you, Osama Bin Castro!

Clams needs some tee pee for his bung holio!!!!!

Picture of Joey taking a picture

Osama Bin Castro sighting 2

Clams needs to lose some color to fit in that rack...

W'burg surf mobile! Reppin' Big Dog Style

Picture of Ashton taking a picture

No quite like sitting on coast highway trying to get to Swamis but it got us to the beach some how. I went to the beach 4 times and each time we took a different way.

Tyring to get the city off of em, the crew gets ready for post fish fry sesh. All water allies incude, RK, Manny, Asthon, Chris, Larry Mayo and Nuno. Thanks for the ride to the beach Nuno! Also at da secret spot, sighted were Moose, Christenson and the lovely Blain.

Picture of Richard taking a picture and stalking big banga rights at an unmarked secret spot.

Woaaaahhh braddah! Chek da ripping left brah!

Mayor of Long Island doing a meet and greet.




Joey Clams goin to work on some fine foam transport style.

Slave labor...

Yo Mike! She ain't 12 feet of Dinasoar Poop but she'll still go fast!


Jah Bless dropping hits all night long!

we build surfboards, he builds music. Rasta pon top son!


Gotta be careful in the 'Berg cause you might run into the local color.


Freaks shows come free and often late at night....

careful Manny, she's sizing you up! Any takers?

Picture of Manny taking a picture.

Eh yo Sal! Check it, ders a surf shop ova hee. Eh look, its one o das soifers, grab is bord! quick!

ah yes, the lovely Millie Rose Deli Chicken Sandwhich on a blurry Sunday moring, post baile sesh! your loveing it Manny, I know.


Though only one sighting occured in my stay, Big Dog Style is represented everywhere!


Danny, you were there in spirit.


Thanks to all who helped us starving cali shapers get around your town. The Clams, Bubbie, FM Borroughs, and everyone else involved in the madness of the fish frye week! mad ups to you all!!! Booking ticket already for next year! ciao.

History Lesson

Gary and Peter of Moonlight Glassing passing down some knowledge of past board design theory and design threads while peering down the line of the most recently shaped, balsa Simmons replica made by Terry Martin and John Cherry. A few of the names mentioned were, of course Simmons, but also, Woody Brown and Pat Curren. The conversation started with talking about Woody and it went from there. Whoa!

Be there, or be in Coachella like I'm gonna be...

I really, really wish I was in town for this, but spontaneity has its price. This is going to be an awesome show!

Two Tone

Go check out Icon's of surf, they just got one of these and a few more for their showroom! Also check Shelter, Mollusk NYC, PBSS, and the batch for Mollusk Venice just arrived at the Moonbase Thursday. Happy Weekend!

Fon Andy

Super honored and stoked to be working with Andy Davis on a few logo projects for this year. Possibly looking at a new board logo and a few shirt designs. Of course there is a board or two being worked on for both Andy and Bobby K. A 9'4 HP2 Pintail shaped and getting glassed for an up coming trip with his wifey and the couple of T Moe and his bride to unknown warm water points south. Hope you enjoy!

For Ari Macropoulos

Here is a custom 7'4 Fish Simmons Quad for legendary photographer Ari Macropoulos. Ari did a photo shoot with the boys from the Mollusk NYC shop, for a NY Times feature. Included in the shoot was a board similar t0o this among many other, also with a guest appearance from RK and his coveted pocket calculator. Should be in print sometime soon. Mollusk arranged the custom order and here it is. May you shred many a waves on this Ari. Hope you enjoy. Check out the link...scroll down to march 7.
http://shipwormandgribble.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html

A Batch of Freshies....

here is a batch of 4 boards ready to be finish shaped tomorrow for the Mollusk Surf Shop in Brooklyn. On deck is a 7'1 Long Fish Simmons Quad, a 6'8 Long Fish Simmons Quad, an 8'1 Fish Simmons Quad and a 5'9 J Hall Keel Fin Fish. Can't wait to see them to the glassers Monday!

Stoked Custom!!!

This is a new model custom for John. We are introducing the HP2 Comp series to the catalouge this year; all the same classic outlines of the HP2 series, just suited for more all around surfing. This is an HP2 Comp Diamond tail and is 9'6 by 22 3/4 by 3 1/8. You'll see John ripping apart La Jolla Shores on this model.

Transitional Shortboard

My guess based on the history of San Diego surfing Skip shaped this vee bottom, probably one of the very first ones when after Windansea came back from their revolutionary trip down to visit the Aussies. Skip said he was blown away by what he saw down there and was one of the first to come back and implement the new design thread of shorter boards with vee throughout. My guess is this was one of the first due to its length 9'0. If I recall correctly most were down towards the 8'0-7'0 range but of course some were even shorter than that. This project has been brought to me by a client who requested a vee bottom. I was lucky enough to have Bird Huffman loan this one to me. It just looked better than the rest with the tail really foiled out compared to most of those square off fat tailed vee things that were the start. Anyways, notice the long parallel lines and the really wide square tail...remind you of someone else's principals????

Simmons by Joe Bauguess and Swift

So, I can say i had sooooo much fun riding this board. Wouldn't be my daily driver but had an insanely great time on it in glassy headhigh underwater left point waves down here. This is a 6'6 Simmons board built by Joe Bauguess for the Hydrodynamica Test Pilot Series. I'm really fortunate to get to surf with RK around town from time to time and, as the video has shown, he rips on these. I'm always asking to ride one, but it seems that we never connect. I don't think either of us really likes getting out of the water when the wave are good. Anyways, this board was built for Daniel Partch and of course he foiled his own set of fins for it and does for all the rest of the Simmons and Sim Fish boards that RK and Joe are making.

Performance: It took a few waves to adjust to having been riding my 12 footer around town, but once I paddled down to another reef and could get it to go front side, everything came together. First off, one of my main boards is my 7'0 Long Fish Simmons Quad so the length soon became comfortable. What I couldn't get over was how well they paddled in to waves. Almost like cheating! I think most are sub 6 foot. Anyways, once i figured out the bottom turn angle, the board just started to come alive with tons of drive and really held great through cutbacks. Did some bottom top turn combos and never got hung up, thinking that the width might make it sticky but not. And the trim!!!! Having come from the Frye line, my favorite thing to do is just stand mid board and trim through sections, well, this board definitely made some sections, actually got me down and around a few that really surprised me. The width in the tail had me worried about getting hit with the lip and or whitewash but this thing made it happen and I made so many more waves. There were a few quirks in certain parts of the pocket when coming into or out of a roundhouse cutback, but that was probably more pilot error than the board. But again, overall a very fun and different sliding experience and one that makes me want to have a few in the quiver. I better get on it, Joe is only in town for a little while, but Dan and I are lucky that Joe's shaping bay is just a few blocks away. You should get one too www.theswiftmovement.com for inquires.

What can I say about this picture. By far the most, heavy-not in my wildest dreams-could I believe this day would happen-type of picture of my life, to say the least. How do you show gratitude to a man like Skip? I would have to write a book about all the man has past on to me and taught me in life. But I don't think the words would come anywhere remotely close to describing the feelings I've experienced being able to spend as much time as I have with him. I mean, growing up and riding in the same car with him on my first trips to places like Swami's, San O or to meet Donald. Or like the first time I ever surfed the 'Bu and met him up there and as we paddle out the back with each other he turns and teaches me the line up spots and which waves to catch in the set. Can you believe that? Back then it was like living inside of a permanent dream. I'm with Skip at Malibu! He was in the van for the first Windansea trip up to the bu! Legendary! I mean, if Skip said hi to you in the water it was a big deal and here I am surfing the Bu with him? Freaking unbelievable! I mean that's Skip Frye man! And here I am so fortunate to have the man as a mentor to me, and to give me his blessing as I launch out in to the board building world with his roots firmly planted in me. If I could give one percent back to the sport of surfing like Skip has done, it would be a huge feat. He embodies what surfing is all about, the stoke of the aloha spirit. When all the corporate banners are taken down, and china built pop outs are removed, that's all that's left, the reason we all do it, for stoke of the aloha spirit. Skip's now in his 50th year of surfing and in my opinion he could have every right to be the grumpy, old bitter salty surfer out in the lineup complaining about crowds and talking story of how good it used to be, but he's not. In fact, he's more stoked now and is surfing more than he ever has in his life. I try to make people realize when out in the water with Skip, how lucky we are to have one of the last surfer/shaper/craftsmen still around us surfing and innovating and fine tuning designs. we should all just sit back and watch him surf, and not just surf, but absolutely rip a place apart. I'm thankful that we are able to help Skip out and get him what has been deserving of his entire career and now he can just focus on surfing. My gratitude to him is unexplainable. I couldn't begin to say thank you enough, to really show it. I'm seriously the luckiest person on the planet and I try to remember that every single day. I hope by continuing to build boards in his tradition I will be able to pass on the stoke which he passed on to me Thanks Skip!